Record Reviews

ANDRZEJ JOZEFOW ~ THREEISM SYNTACTICA 001 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2015 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz guitarist / composer Andrzej JozefowFind albums by this artist, recorded in a trio setting with bassist Adam ZuchowskiFind albums by this artist and Chilean drummer Luis Mora MatusFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten tracks, seven of which are originals by Jozefow, one is co-composed by all three trio members, one is a standard and one is a Classical piece by the French composer of Polish / Jewish origin Alexandre TansmanFind albums by this artist. From the very onset of this album it becomes apparent that this is not the "usual" guitar trio album, usually created to show the guitarist´s skills and neck breaking speed. This one is a much more serious and deep affair, dark and introvert, which presents a musical concept and ensemble approach rather rarely found in such projects. Jozefow´s music, which is the core of this album, is very melancholic, ascetic and slowly developing, a set of characteristics usually typical of Classical Music, but it is also inevitably Jazz in the best sense of the idiom. There is a lot of space and freedom in this music, which allows the musicians to spread their wings and soar high above the basic melodic and harmonic structure of the tunes, which keeps the listener on his toes for the entire duration. The execution is also quite extraordinary; Jozefow plays gently, delicately strumming the guitar and sparingly uttering his notes, being a complete antidote of the usual guitar madness. His notes are like delicate strokes of paint on canvas, slowly but consistently exposing the idea. Zuchowski is a wonderful partner in this creating, playing with the bow almost as much as plucking his bass, adding another layer of color to the musical canvas and always being right there when he is needed. Matus also keeps his drums in check, faithfully supporting the subtle musical structures with his tasteful touches, keeping the rhythm on time only when absolutely needed and playing around the rhythms when appropriate. The overall interplay between these three musicians is nothing short of astonishing. This is definitely a most impressive debut album, which surely promises many great things to come. I had the pleasure of meeting Jozefow in person during my recent visit in Gdansk, and he certainly makes an impression of treating his Art and career highly professionally. Therefore I can only wish him the best of luck, which he truly deserves.

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QUANTUM TRIO ~ DUALITY NGM 0001 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is the second album by the Quantum TrioFind albums by this artist, which consists of Polish saxophonist Michal Jan CiesielskiFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Kamil ZawislakFind albums by this artist and Chilean drummer Luis Mora MatusFind albums by this artist. The double CD album presents fifteen original compositions, nine composed or co-composed by Ciesielski, three by Zawislak and nine by Matus. Musically the album continues from where the debut left off, presenting a series of excellent melodic compositions, executed with vigor and obvious technical proficiency. The lack of bass does not hinder the trio´s Swing and ability to use odd meters and switch tempi unpredictably, which of course is great fun to listen to. The music is more extrovert and expressive than on the debut, but the basic concept is still there, this time significantly developed and expanded. The use of overdubs on some tracks creates a much denser and complex overall aural effect, also expanding upon the basic concept of the trio. Although the music is beautifully executed, it is the superb compositions that turn this album into a first class musical experience. Full of great harmonies and lyrical melody lines the music is captivating and flows with a remarkable coherence and elegance. The World Music motifs are much more significant on this album, and they again add a completely new dimension to the music, enabling the exploration of new sonic vistas. Overall this is a great album, which can be enjoyed by a wide range of listeners, including even those who do not listen to Jazz on a regular basis, as it encompasses many universal musical devices, sub-consciously understandable to a wide range of music loving listeners. It takes several listening sessions to explore the full depth of this impressive and large volume of music that this album offers, but the effort is certainly highly rewarding. It is great to see that the trio is able to pass the "second album" trial with flying colors, and of course they join the list of ensembles on the "worth following" list with distinction. Well done indeed!

Updated: 25/05/2017Posted: 25/05/2017

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QUANTUM TRIO ~ GRAVITY FOR TUNE 0054 (Barcode: 5902768701616) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2015 This is the debut album by the Quantum TrioFind albums by this artist, which consists of Polish saxophonist Michal Jan CiesielskiFind albums by this artist and pianist Kamil ZawislakFind albums by this artist and Chilean drummer Luis Mora MatusFind albums by this artist. It presents ten original compositions, three of which were composed by Ciesielski, one by Zawislak, four by Matus and the remaining two by all three members of the trio. The music is mostly serene, intimate and reflexive, with strong and beautiful melodic themes and a distinct Classical influence. The chamber ambience is also emphasized by the lack of bass, which usually supplies the Jazz pulsation, not present here. Nevertheless this is undoubtedly a Jazz album, although the music is very elegant and almost lofty, somewhat similar to the Scandinavian touch. Contrary to what the trio publishes in their promo materials about their music, all of the music herein is perfectly composed and arranged and shows no traces of spontaneous composition / improvisation. The personal contributions by all three trio members are without reproach; Ciesielski plays delicate, long phrases with beautiful intonation and great sensitivity, Zawislak masterly accompanies the saxophone parts and plays elegant solo parts and finally Matus ornaments the music with his rich palette of percussive sounds, showing great imagination and a lot of skill. Overall this is a very enjoyable, delicate and aesthetically pleasing album, and a most impressive debut outing. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. Definitely recommended!

Updated: 25/05/2017Posted:

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QUANTUM TRIO ~ RED FOG EMME 1909 (Barcode: 850869006350) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the third album by the Quantum TrioFind albums by this artist, which consists of Polish saxophonist Michal Jan CiesielskiFind albums by this artist, pianist Kamil ZawislakFind albums by this artist and Chilean drummer Luis Mora MatusFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, two by Ciesielski, one by Zawislak, three by Matus and one credited to all trio members. The album offers a wonderful sound quality, albeit quite unusual and demanding due to the unorthodox balance between the instruments. With an average once every two years release schedule the trio managed to established a unique sound and stylistic approach to their music, which stays faithful to melody based compositions, but gradually opens up to distance itself from the Jazz mainstream. This album offers a new, rather dark and somewhat industrial sound, which differs from the two earlier albums but continues the trio´s musical direction. The trio offers a very unusual approach to instrumentation, with a delicate balance between the saxophone, piano and drums, not depending on the usual bass provided harmony and pulse, which might sound pretty weird at the first hearing, but has a lot of charm and intrinsic tension. The drums are given an absolute equal rank within the trio, which is almost never present elsewhere. As usual the personal performances are all exquisite and offer grace, elegance and sophistication way beyond what one might expect from young Jazz musicians. The complexity, mostly rhythmical, of the music demands a telepathic communication between the trio members, which is found here aplenty. Again, as usual, it is the level of the compositions that makes this music stand out above the average and turns this album into an exciting listening experience. Overall this is a mature, coherent piece of music by a trio that knows exactly where it is going, which offers splendid ambitious music, which keeps the listener on his toes from start to finish, being definitely one of the most exciting albums so far this year. Well done, again!

Updated: 18/05/2019Posted: 18/05/2019

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SOLARIS ~ SOLARIS NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 190317000531) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2023 Released: 2023 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz quartet SolarisFind albums by this artist, comprising of guitarist Michal StarkiewiczFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Tomasz LicakFind albums by this artist, bassist Ksawery WojcinskiFind albums by this artist and Chilean drummer Luis Mora MatusFind albums by this artist. The album, recorded live, presents six tracks, all original compositions by Starkiewicz. As the quartet’s name and album’s title suggest, the music is inspired by the writings of Polish author Stanislaw LemFind albums by this artist. The music is a kind of Jazz-Rock Fusion, somewhere between Heavy Metal and Free Jazz, with strong rhythmic patterns and advanced improvisations by the saxophone and guitar, somehow reminiscent of the two albums Starkiewicz and Licak recorded together as partners in the Beat FreaksFind albums by this artist quartet a few years ago, but way less restrained and Free oriented, probably due to the presence of Wojcinski and Matus, who hail from the Improvised Music circles. The music develops gradually from relatively well-organized intros and builds up towards tense crescendos, which gives all the musicians plenty of opportunity to show their individual chops and develop an ensemble statement. It has an industrial tinge to it, which obviously is intentional, as stated on the album’s booklet. Overall, this is quite original, and certainly rare musical statement on the local Jazz scene, which offers a unique approach to improvisation and creation of sound, which might feel quite alien at first, but certainly is highly absorbing and surprising. Listeners looking for new forms of expression within the widely treated Jazz domain, will probably enjoy this music immensely, despite the fact that it is somewhat an acquired taste, which sounds better and better with each listening attempt. Ambitious and unusual enough to be respected!

Updated: 20/12/2023Posted: 20/12/2023

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